The Demon's Bride
by IamHavingAnIdentityCrisis
Summary: "It astounds me, the amount of greed that can manifest in such tiny mortal vessels and yet you humans cannot even grasp the concept of eternity" With The Demon's Forest locked in an eternal winter, killing all life in its grasp, Vincent dares to set his foot past the wall-risking death- to win his love's hand in marriage only to rue the day he was born and bargained with the devil.
1. Chapter 1: In the Beginning

_Chapter One _

_**In the beginning** there were deities. Divine beings capable of manipulating and creating life, and the raw materials of nature from nothing, they were immortals who possessed both great power and knowledge, creators of the many planets within the universe and the laws of nature that ruled them. They were unchallenged in life and lived on an island that drifted amidst the sea of stars and iceberg wisps. They were near perfect beings, most who were content with eternity, yet there were those who weren't who felt its weight as a terrible curse. Yet despite differences in the nature of each individual divinity, there was a defining trait each one shared with another; Deities were unable to reproduce. _

_Simply there was never a need to since no deity has ever died and needed to be replaced, what's more, any that has been birthed into existence has already been so. (There was also the tricky business of how mating amongst divines would work since deities had no definable sex or genitalia to begin with- none that any mortal mind could measure perhaps.) Even still, the deities felt it upon themselves to create something unlike their wonders before, they felt the need to create life, sentient beings which were capable of drawing breathe and independent thought. _

_In fact, this need became so strong it soon led to the birth of the first living planet in the universe. A small viridian and blue planet that drifted in the ocean just below the deities own floating island; much easier to keep an eye on things when their close by. The gods cast a star by the earth for which to create a constant light and warmth, this subsequently also led to the birth of darkness and shadow and led to a never ending cycle of what we now call day and night, however the night was considered TOO dark which led to the creation of the moon, radiant and soft unlike its daytime counterpart. Of course the finicky deities were not satisfied with such an inefficient source of light so they threw some nearby stars and planets within the earth's proximity hoping it would illuminate the night sky of their little earth._

_It did._

_They were happy._

_And with a few more minor touches and the occasional disagreement and begrudging compromise, the little green planet was soon teeming with life. It was filled with minor and lesser spirits who took form as the fauna and greenery of the land. At First, the deities were satisfied with their creation and enjoyed watching it flourish over time._

_Then the consuming need for life took hold of the gods once again which promptly led to the birth of the first race of divine children, intelligent beings capable of magic like themselves; The Race of Demons was born. Now, having been born in a different universe it isn't uncommon for us to hear the word demon and associate it with malicious, cruel spirits who existed merely to cause havoc and wreak chaos, or maybe you even hear the word demon and instantly think of Faustian contracts with pentagrams and summoning rituals and I wouldn't blame you if that were the case, however these demons do not adhere our stereotype of malevolent, soulless beings. These demons were not inherently evil, nor did they become that way over time, near immortal like their creators they too possessed the ability to manipulate the elements of nature, magic and an innate desire to create and learn. Simply put they were neutral forces of nature, some chaotic and some peaceful. However, because they were not as powerful as their creators, they relied on the living essence of other life forms to replenish themselves and their powers. This meant the dryads and nature spirits of the land, the life essence of lesser sentient beings. _

_The Gods were pleased with their newest creation, well, that was until the new race of beings started posing a threat to the natural balance of the viridian world. As the number of demons grew, the fewer the number of nature spirits and thus the living planet's well-being went into a drastic decline. Fearing the ultimate threat of the rising demon population the Deities took away the demons ability to reproduce and in return granted them eternal life. The demons accepted this change begrudgingly, the prospect of eternity bleak and gruelling. And while this change halted the decline of the planets life essence it didn't restore the delicate balance. So the Deities introduced the second race of Children: The Human race. Curious, yet surprisingly adaptable, The Deities were delighted with their youngest creation, the most unique and ambitious of all as they relied on exploiting the land and raw materials for survival, they were significantly weaker than the demons and deities and lacked any sense of innate magical knowledge, but they possessed an ability to learn and invent and were gifted with immortal souls that upon death would be released, This led to the creation of reapers, ascended human spirits who were in charge of releasing other human souls from their mortal binds and into nature, but most importantly of all: The humans were able to naturally reproduce. This pleased the gods greatly and thus they watched with satisfaction as the humans took the land and restored the balance of the little viridian planet. The humans however, did not find these traits to be such great gifts as the deities believed; instead they found it to be the ingredients of a doomed existence; short lived with many hardships. Since their birth, the deities vowed to never again interfere as the balance was once again restored. The humans soon outnumbering the demons in millions, the deities were satisfied and vowed never again to interfere with the lives of their creations. The humans however, lived in fear of the superior demons and were considerably distressed, cursing the deities from afar on their small green rock. _

_In the land of England, much long before Vincent was born, his predecessors had lived in constant fear of the demons and the threat they posed to their people. The souls of humans, as the demons discovered, had unique and addictive flavours: anguished, petrified, vengeful, greedy- alluring and hypnotic flavours, so succulent that the intensity began to corrupt the nature and appetite of over-indulgent demons causing them to seek out more and more immortal souls, often disguising and deceiving their prey before 'seasoning' and consuming them. So out of fear for their lives the humans built a great stone wall, running along the length of the country, separating the denser and darker parts of the Forest, where the demons chose to reside, from the human kingdom. It is said that each slate and stone laid was blessed with anti-demonic magic by great elder mages to ward off the demonic threat and that to this day, despite its crumbling and wear, its protective charm still powerful enough to keep even the most fearsome of demons away, and the earth surrounding it so heavily salted that the flora dwelling upon the outskirts shrivelled, blackened and petrified. So they stayed within what the humans called the 'Daemon's Forest'; dormant and obscured by the shadows of the rotting coal trees. The stars of the eternal night merely holes within their woven, dead canopy._

* * *

_When Vincent was born, his family was overjoyed, as if the violin's lively song had taken form into a young boy. Full of whimsy and wit, he was a curious boy. When he took over his father's title as Earl, they were more than proud of their young Vincent, cunning and handsome, in the land of England there was no man more charming. With eyes as dark as the night, nothing held more alluring a mystery than the smile constant in his eyes or the mischievous note in his voice. When Rachel was born it was as if a single ray of light had been dropped by the divines, her birth was rejoiced despite her fragile health. She was greatly loved most anyone who met her, envy melting into genuine pleasure and admiration. With gold amber hair, lily white skin and dusk blue eyes reminiscent of the ocean depths, she was an irrefutable beauty; something mile long line of suitors had quickly realized. And what she had in beauty she mirrored in her demeanour, her smile never waning, only growing more radiant with every year that passed. It was really no mystery as to why he fell for her. Her sweetness was rivalled only by her demure younger sister whose bashfulness concealed the most of her loveliness; hidden away behind scarlet coloured locks. But whilst Rachel was very much charmed, she was no fool and having already rejected so many dishonest marriage proposals at the tender age of nineteen, it was necessary she make true his intentions. _

"_Vincent, darling," she said to him, as at this point they had already been courting for several years and were very much in love. _

"_You know I love you and that with you, I've never been happier but is there a reason you've made me wait so long?" and he smiled at her, knowing very well what she meant for he was no fool either. You see, The Lord Durless was not an easy man to please, his stance growing more and more resolute by the years, each passing one shedding more hair and sprouting more stubbornness so of course it was only natural that the man who takes his daughter's hand in marriage should very well earn it. And this is just what Vincent set out to do, for the Lord Durless did not make these tasks easy to accomplish. In exchange for his daughter he wanted a ray of sun both warm and bright yet able to hold in his own two hands, for her sweet demeanour he wanted the song of the nightingales and robins, sweet and constant to enjoy whenever he pleased. For his word to remain true and good to his daughter he wanted proof of his love for her, proof that he would risk his life and scour the depths of hell for her. This was enough to repel most average infatuated suitors and rid of the foolhardy men for good, but not so much the likes of Vincent. He agreed all the while wearing a knowing smirk, a plan already hatching in his mind to win her heart and her father's respect. With this in mind, he kissed her sweetly on her cheek and waved away her worries with a voice as smooth as honey. _

"_Do you worry my love that you would end up a spinster? That without me you'd never marry? Have you not seen the line of suitors out your window, dying for your hand?" He took her lovingly in his arms, delighting in the scent of lilies that embraced him. She frowned slightly, the slightest sulk in her voice as she tried to distance herself. _

"_But I don't want them, I don't want a line of suitors outside my window and I certainly don't want anyone dying, especially not you" He laughed, her innocence darkly amusing to him. _

"_I know, I know, I've yet to pop the question and you've been patient but I promise just a little while longer." He reassured as he bent down to plant a kiss. His lips coming to a halt as they brushed soft against dainty fingertips, she frowned once more._

"_You said that a year ago." Blue eyes peering carefully at her lover as she pulled away from him, his smile falling as she did. He sighed. _

"_Rachel," he let her slip from his embrace as she turned away. She had given him a lot of her years, none she ever regretted spending, but her patience was waning. She didn't want to doubt him, but the more he avoided the subject and waved it away the more she began to wonder if the things her father often said were true. That young men were only after one thing and they'd do whatever they could to get it and avoid marriage._

_So the next day he left during the dark hours of the morning, when the air was still rolling thick with fog and made his way on horseback east wards towards the never ending wall, Armed with nothing but a blessed silver sterling in his breast pocket._

* * *

The air was harsh. Dawn having already approached with the sun crowing from the horizon, it's rays still

Growing more Bitter and suffocating as he neared the wall; the dense barrage of forest growing less and less as his steed's hooves continued to beat against the floor, the sound muffled by the fallen pine needles and fine earth. The layers of mist still lingering and obscuring the better part of his sight. He growled, frustration mounting as he willed for the fog to evaporate and cease, recklessly spurring his horse forward in spite of it. Cursing, as it instead only seemed to grow the thicker the more he travelled east. His face ruddy from the wind as it whipped and bit, his thick fur cloak warding off the worst of it. He clutched tighter the reigns in his hands, his resolve only hardening with every gust of wind. He only hoped that this journey proved fruitful.

* * *

_On the outskirts of the demon's forest, alone in amidst a wildflower clearing stood a modest yet extraordinary little manor. Secluded amongst the frost encased fir trees, almost lost to the surrounding flora and green. The babbling and trickling of the winding ice brook ever present and always luring the smaller, lesser critters, leading them towards the lusher demon's den and away from the harsh dead environment around them. A slate stone pathway emerging from within the dense greenery meandering through a small earthen garden of iced snowdrops and lilies, each delicate bloom encased and preserved within a thin veil of woven icicles. The manor itself was woven from living wild vines and ferns laced with red ivy vines and white wisteria tendrils. It's walls thick and green, impervious to the bone harrowing chill of the forest air, The glass of the windows made from clear tinted amber stone, the sill spilling with the same blossoms from the garden before it. The roof itself a completely strange feat; layers and layers of thousands of black matted feathers, each single one bone dry and razor sharp. It was undoubtedly an eccentric home, even for a demon such as this one._

* * *

Vincent brought his horse to a halt, the wind ceasing to rake through his hair as he slowed his horse, the chill of the forest fog growing, slowing the blood in his veins. His breathe almost caught in the air as it froze, the sight of the dark stone wall stretching for miles and disappearing into the white both ominous and foreboding, his nerve wavering. He clambered off his horse, his heart beginning to thump as his feet crunched against solid earth, his pulse suddenly quickening. The silence was piercing. Penetrating the air and ringing through his ears. He took a breath. The horse at his side shifting nervously, ears turning and twitching as he stepped forward, his footsteps crunching as the brown earth underneath turned to frost. The horse protesting, yet Vincent did his best to remain unperturbed. His hand coming to hush the antsy beast, resting on its neck he whispered hush and soothing words, his attention never turning from the wall before him. Dark Eyes constantly scanning and skimming between the white trees and dark trunks; huffs of white breath dissolving to the mist; He took another few steps.

The protests of the horse beside him shrill and desperate to keep its master close by yet torn between its instinct to run and flee. Its cries growing more distressed with every step he took, ears backwards and tail between its legs, reaching its neck towards it master yet anxious to not step on the white. Vincent ignored it, already within a few yards of the slate wall, its bone chilling cold almost within his grasp. He sighed and took a breath. The cold of the stone seeping the warmth from his fingertips, deathly and icy to the touch, as if the blood in his fingers had turned to ice, he drew back his hand ripping of his glove. The limb considerably whiter and number than the other, attempting to flex and watch as the tendons stretched and worked under his skin, it was stiff. The warmth was slow to return he discovered as he watched in apt fascination at his discovery. His interest peaked, oblivious to the cries of the stranded horse shrieking for its master. He took one last gander at the landmark. One comprehending look of the scene before him and finally stepped over the gap or dark fallen stones. The mist from his lungs viciously sucked out of him, leaving him gasping and struggling for breath. Falling to his knees as his fingers and limbs grew ice white and cold, his hand clasped and clutching at his throat and ear.

A nothing less than silence flooding his mind as any memory or semblance of noise from the human world was slapped from his person, his mind began to swim and his voice suddenly lost to the forest. The white of the snow and frost too bright for his eyes it made them water, his vision blurring and forcing him to shut his eyes as he collapsed in a near catatonic heap upon the floor. The cries of his horse no longer to be heard.

* * *

_It had been almost two centuries now since winter had begun and the boughs of the trees still solid and coal black from the cold. The icicles were still growing and forming in thorns in the crystalline waters and the newer demons were still deep in hibernation._

_Well, _

_For the most part. _

_He had always been a strange one, choosing to stay awake through the century long winters rather than to forgo it like the rest of his kin. _

_He moseyed in the lower cellar of his home, the walls crudely carved from the earth below his home and lined with the roots of the living vines above, leisurely sifting through the various bottles of coloured mists and fluorescent elixir, one clawed hand tracing along the line of vials and flasks before languidly taking the three furthest at the back and scanning the crudely scrawled labels before tossing them haphazardly into the sack aside him. The room dimly lit by the soft glow of flickering embers, breathing the faintest glimmer of light in the room, allowing the creature to continue rummaging through each row of shelves without haste. The cabinets and shelves growing increasingly bare as the inspection progressed. _

_The enchanted item shadowing him as he repeated this process of tossing out stale ingredients, the sack scuffling along the floor to catch each discarded bottle, almost scurrying frantically as its enchanters pace grew agitated. Red eyes glowered, grumbling to himself as he cursed the extended winter, realising that soon he would have to venture out again and gather what little he could from the frozen wasteland. The winter had lasted far too long for his liking; The seams of his guise beginning to fray and mist, no longer good to fool even the most simple of humans, his inhuman aura beginning to seep; darkened droplets and tendrils dripping and creeping; darkness trailing with every step. _

_He never considered his form to be something of a stunner but he took pride in his guise, working hard to maintain it, divines forbid he ever appear unsightly before an audience should he be summoned. Just as every healthy and responsible demon should –or so he liked to believe. And with a flick of his wrist, he waved away the burlap sack, already brimming with century old spells and raw essences of long deceased dryads and solar nymphs, and sent it to sit in a carriage frame of blackened bone and coal woven together with thorn vines. With one last sweeping glance he assessed the cellar, Satisfied with the amount in the sack and disappointed with what was left on the shelf. The blackened carriage obediently following as he ascended up a flight of slate slabs protruding from the walls in the fashion of a makeshift staircase, the last embers faint glow dying as he left the room, leaving the room in its original pitch darkness. The walls parting with every step and revealing itself to the surface and admitting the demon and his non-sentient companion._

* * *

He moved briskly, scrutinizing the branches for any flicker of green or brown. His irritation beginning to mount as none came into view. The small hairs on his tendrils and spines, usually able to feel the slightest vibration or sign of life, dead and numb in the sterile air, the lack of sensation leaving him feeling blind and lost for directions. His steps beginning to slow to an amble as the cold began to seep into the crevices of his skin. The wheels of the carriage beginning to creek with effort, the joints freezing over with every turn, but the carriage was too determined and obedient and thus continued to trail after its master at a pitiful pace.

The glass of the bottles and vials misting over and crystallizing; the contents solidifying and expanding, the spirits whistling and screaming in agony as icicles and crystals formed and grew freezing them slowly and painfully. The never ending white that stretched for miles, undisturbed save for the dark silhouettes shifting with the horizon, like ghostly shadows dancing and drifting amidst purgatory. Time, losing itself and dwindling into static before picking up and flowing rapidly once more, minutes becoming hours in a blink of an eye and seconds stretching further than the eye could ever see. His body shook, violently trashing, trying to rid himself of the forming icicles in his furs and hairs but to no avail.

The small carriage beginning to grow stiff and white, a thin layer of ice already beginning to form and solidify the demon had hardly left the clearing near his home and already winter settled within the demons skin. He heaved a sigh, his breath steaming and evaporating instantaneously as he exhaled. His limbs dragging as he worked against his rigid fur and feathers, continuing to trudge into the white, sheer determination leading him blind into the white. He could sense that the journey itself would be a bleak one, fruitless and of no consequence but he continued to trudge despite his better knowledge, and for the better as it turned out.

He journeyed for what seemed to be the better half of the day, his fur and feathers hanging from him in frozen clumps, the sky as white and vacant as it was at the beginning of his trek; a white outstretched canvas lacking any stars or clouds as far as any mortal eye could gander. The landscape never changing save for the evergrowing tracks in the ground of the demons dragging steps, faint imprints against the ice solid ground. He almost wanted to give up, search another day. He knew the journey would have proved fruitless and yet he still continued, the black carriage behind him creaking with effort, struggling to keep pace. He sighed once more, stopping in his tracks. The creaking and crunch of the ice against frozen bone and thorn coming to a halt as it stood like a shadow behind the demon. He was about to turn around when the faintest gust of breathe shook loose a fractal from his feathers.

Then it hit him.

Like electricity, the nerves in the roots of his hairs, trembling with excitement and sensation. The wind changing and a breeze like a whirlwind sent his tendrils on end. If he had a heart it would've skipped a beat. Had he lungs he would be breathless. Then he heard it. The warmth beginning to course through his being as he pinpointed the sensation, the sound of a shrill cry, faint from the distance yet piercing and prominent in the silence of the woods. He fought against his limbs, Following his ears, his nose, the tiny hairs on the long tapering coils that slithered from his form and broke into speed. Abandoning the frozen piece of furniture, chasing the delicious vibrations lost somewhere in the white and raced towards the wall. Excitement taking hold of him as the promise of a life reinvigorated him. He was racing now.

Racing towards the Where the coal black trees began to thin out and grow sparse, towards where the border between man and demon stood, unflinchingly bare and undeniable in the open. Colour beginning to seep past the horizon and into the sky as he drew closer. Maniacal glee and instinctual needs driving him onwards to the wall, to where the agonized scream of a young man resounded as his soul, piece by piece, began to freeze and petrify.

* * *

The body was cold. The faintest signs of life were softly emanating from its hunched petrified form, small but sure, his heartbeat having already slowed to a fatal level but somehow still there, faint but certain.

His lips blue and purple, skin as white and solid as ice, lungs burning and starved for oxygen. His entire body wracked and entrapped in shards of growing icicles, curdling his blood, freezing him from the inside. His entire being on fired and excruciating pain, the only solace from the burning torture was the numbing black dead that began to claim his extremities and his lack of consciousness. The sickening sound of cracking and popping of bones and joints echoing as the ice began to expand within his skeleton, the fluids in his body hardening over organs beginning to fail and die, the fibres of his being shrieking in torment and agony as they fought to resist the invading ice to no avail.

The demon walked, towards him, each step measured and sure, scanning the surroundings for any other sign of life. His eyes settling upon the fallen heap at the foot of the walls entrance, eyes widening at the appearance of such a large beast. His curiosity peaked at the sight of it; its fur frozen into a compact rock hard carcass. Its death stricken form indistinguishable from any known beast the demon had seen before, why it was ever struck by the urge to wander into such a desolate and foreboding land he had no clue but he stalked it closer. The smallest sign of warmth still visible at its centre, its smell unlike that of the wilder beasts, somewhat more familiar, a scent that he'd once before happened upon in the summer of another life ago.

He paused in his tracks, tinted memories resurfacing as. The very scent of it, he remembered, like a gentle breeze had drifted into his clearing, captivated by it and fascinated by such a work of nature. They were Naïve little creatures, far too curious for their own good, foolhardy idiots that would often overestimate their own limits; greedy mortals, ignorant of consequence and lacking in foresight or afterthought. _And how he relished them_, how he savoured every tremor of emotion, every slither and thread of utter primal and instinctual, humanistic fear.

He looked it over once more, the figure beginning to resemble something more of a man in his mind. Perhaps that now he knew what it was, he could then find out what it is he wanted, so he thought. His tendrils quivered as the wind picked up once more, the sounds of its splintering bones and the man's slowing pulse snapping the demon out of its nostalgic reverie, his mind set as he strode once more to close the gap between him and the creature. His limbs reaching down to get a firm grasp of the beast before gingerly hauling it over his shoulder and across his back. Practically brimming with glee as he considered all the ways of how he could 'extract' what he needed from the human man, excitement bristling his fur and feathers, mind racing with thoughts and fantasies about his latest haul. It was modest he could admit, but considering the state and length of the winter he had to endure, the divines knew he wouldn't dare complain!

He drew to his full height once more, the action eliciting more sounds of shifting ice and bone as he straightened, poised and collected, his eyes scanning the horizon, facing the wall where the body had collapsed before turning once more to trek back to his home. The success of his efforts enough to renew his vigour and cast the wind in his boots, he raced with speed homewards without regards to the well-being of his own deteriorating form to attend to the most urgent task of reviving the frozen human man that he had just acquired.

* * *

The first sense that came back was his hearing, noise, senseless but present in his ear. The buzzing slowly turning into the soft cackle of a fire, as clarity and consciousness began to bleed in once again. His vision swimming, the surroundings lucid and haze like in the corners of his vision. Dark shapes dancing before his eyes as they morphed into reality. The room around him muted, shifting as the fire flickered and cast upon the room its amber glow. Disoriented and dazed, he lay there completely paralyzed and unaware of where he was, of his own condition or that he now lay helplessly paralyzed at the mercy of a Demon. Wood smoke filled the air and made his nostrils burn and ache, throat hoarse and raw as if he'd swallowed sandpaper and shards of glass. The earthy smell of the room forcing itself into his lungs, the scent heavy and thick, suffocating and unavoidable as it grounded him to earth and brought back the sensations in his limbs. The potent smell offensive and causing him to stir; his body attempting to act in protest only to fail miserably as the nerves refused to respond.

Then there was pain.

His opening eyes screwing shut once more as he felt the force and immensity of an ocean decimate the very cells and fibril bonds of his being. Each pulse of blood in his veins, a flood raking through each hollow blood vessel, his bones aching and radiating pain from the extremities towards his central being as if he felt every crack and fracture within his skeleton. Every breathe he drew caused stabbing sensations within his ribs forcing him to draw quick sharp gasps of air. The pain was too much. As if all the pain he had been numb to before had suddenly came flooding back to him all at once with a vengeance, his breathing growing ragged and shallow as the pain increased with every waking second of reality. It was beginning to grow unbearable, he wanted nothing more than scream or writhe or anything at all to end his misery.

Yet he couldn't move, his agonized screams clawing the walls of his throat and dying at his lips, he couldn't even scream. Unbeknownst to him in the darker edges of his vision, working away yet silently listening to the speeding pulse of the human, was the demon. The quickening pace and the ragged breaths the surest signs of distress, he looked over to the human, its skin a sickly pallor with sheen of sweat. He walked towards him, as he did so the Vincent felt something indescribable move, as if the centre of gravity had been personally pulling towards his core as from the corner of his vision he saw the darkness advancing.

The growing shroud of darkness beginning to consume the room, His frantic little human heart hammering against the shattered ribs in his chest, pain and fear fighting over dominion over his deathly human body, a scream building within his lungs yet dying at his throat as his blood froze and curdled as within the growing cloud of darkness smiled razor sharp fangs that split the face of the abhorrent monster before him. Its glowering red eyes boring into his very souls, penetrating him like a knife, twisting and splintering his bones with nothing but its inhuman glare; Vincent was certain he was going to die that very moment. Caught between his instincts and the unbearable agony, he would welcome the release. His eyes wide and transfixed upon the creature that was about to devour him, glistening with tears as his face began to run. Panic and terror pure and unadulterated racking his being, his breath hitching and almost choking as hysteria consumed him whole, He didn't want to die.

The Demon halted before him, its terrorizing smile never wavering as a long snaking tendril traced the visible veins through the transparent skin of Vincent's arm. The black appendage slithering and coiling around the human limb, the feel of its fibrous skin repulsive against Vincent's own, his limbs soon wrapped and twined in the demons limbs and he began to feel himself writhe. The long tendril around his neck squeezing and growing tight by the second, cutting off his supply of oxygen as his body was consumed by the advancing darkness. The pain of his body fading with his vision as the blackness consumed his mind.

His body jolted awake, as if shocked by a strand of lightning, the thin veil of sweat that clung to him, cold and dank. He sat upright, the bones in his spine clicking into place as he did so. He groaned, wiping the sweat from his forehand and rubbing his temples. His hands trembling as he reached for his skull, the radiating pain from his cranium spreading and softening into a dull but manageable ache, his vision slowly bleeding into focus once more as he tried to recount the nightmare he had just awoken from. He couldn't remember what had happened, what it was about save for the vivid, barbaric pain that he had felt during it, he could never forget that pain. The colour in his face yet to return from the 'dream' he had just woken from. He felt lost, as if something gravely important had slipped from his mind. He closed his eyes and willed his memory to return, what was it? His thoughts were interrupted when a voice as rough as the sound of rushing wind spoke to him from the darkest corner of the room.

"So you awaken once more"

He froze. Paralyzed in the bed he had woken in, unable to move, unable to think. His exhausted heart screaming, wanting to desperately escape from the confines within his chest. It was as if someone has poured a shock of ice down his spine and it settled into the pit of his stomach, chilling his blood and bones. He didn't dare look at the dark corner; he didn't dare reply or move an inch; paralyzed once more from pure abject terror. Sensing the human's apprehension and hesitance, the demon spoke once more. This time his mangled words barely tangible amongst the sound of his own trashing voice as tried to placate and soothe the bristling hairs of his human guest.

"There is no need to fear me, I know you would think there is young human but let me assure you with my sincerest intentions that I do not wish to harm you," Vincent still hadn't moved, neither had the demon but he needed not to, his powerful ears and tendrils sensing the changing pace of the animals frightened heartbeat and feeling for a change in breath. The mouse of a man having not moved an inch since the demon made his presence known. The demon smiled to himself.

"Please, I've had centuries without the pleasure of company and I only wish to converse." The demon stood, his dark form beginning to fill the room once more, Vincent grew cold as the demon rose, his body still paralyzed in shock. The demon began to walk, slowly, painstakingly, taking its leisurely time as it enjoyed listening to the way the humans heart beat frantically as he approached. Each footstep of the beast resounding loud within the vine-strung room; the movement of the sound caused the fire to flicker and grow timid from its impact; Vincent's little human heart jolting with every step. The beast's smile growing wider and more hideous with every inch he closed.

"Is that not what you sought after?

To converse with me?

To pander and entice the demon?" He asked expectantly, grinning maniacally to himself. Its black, rotted claw coming to rest itself on the humans shoulder, as limp and revolting as a limb of a decaying cadaver. Revulsion and shock jolting down the man's spine as the deathly cold touch of the monster sent waves of terror down his spine and throughout his being. He couldn't answer, he didn't want to. He wanted to wake once more, covered in a cold sweat in England where his home was, in his own bed next to his Rachel. Because surely this was just another nightmare-A False awakening!

Eventually the hand slithered away, caressing his shoulder as he did so that made Vincent gag and shiver, his body still tense and trembling from the unwanted contact. He remained silent, struggling to breathe evenly and willing for any moment to wake up. The demon laughed the sound raw and hoarse, and as painful to the ears like sandpaper on skin.

"I suppose it's been a while," he sighs to himself, Vincent didn't turn around, instead listening to every lingering word that slipped from the demon's deformed maw.

"But you must understand, I'm usually not this unsightly, especially around company." He hesitates, barely as if waiting a reply and hobbles towards the fire without pause. The room growing cold as its massive hulking shadow stole the warmth from the room. He carried on talking to himself.

"Usually I'd also have much more comforts to offer as well but as you can see, souls have become scarce and any life that passes the wall either dies or refuses to live." The demon chuckles to himself; the unsettling noise causing Vincent's stomach to lurch and churn. "Though I think you may have discovered that for yourself" he muses to himself as he tends to the fire, a flick of his wrist sending the quiet crackle into a roar, the rapid growth of the inferno waking the trembling shamble of a man from his paralyzed state. A yelp leaping from his throat as the flames engulfed the demon's figure, the flames licking the frame of the bed, reaching for him. The force and the heat of the blaze sending him to jump back in renewed terror and fear. His heart drumming in his ears, as the demon, unmoving in the sea of flames, stared at him with an unwavering, penetrating glower.

"A lifetime ago, long before you were born, I'd happen upon human visitors like yourself at least twice, maybe, thrice a decade. Of course to you that probably seems quite scarce and infrequent but for those like myself it was well more than enough." As he moved forwards, the flames began to die down. Tendrils of dark unfurling from behind the beast in a gust of wind and smoke the dying flames hissing and screaming as they ascended and dissolved in the air, the blaze no more and nothing but a small fire that licked at the iron gating that contained it. Vincent still frozen as the image of the demons visage was slowing burning into the front of his mind and into the back of his eyelids.

"Maybe once or twice a stray would come by all lost and in need of guidance but more often than not, they come with a purpose, to seek out the services of my kind and feed their greedy little maws." Vincent could only gape, his blood running cold with every word the beast had spoken.

"It astounds me, the amount of greed that can manifest in such tiny mortal vessels and yet you humans cannot even grasp the concept of eternity."

It hesitates for a moment, eyes concentrating on staring down its prey, its eyes boring into the deepest reaches of Vincent's immortal soul, chilling him to the core. He felt pleased, watching him squirm and shrink underneath his gaze, its heartbeat a thrumming song to his ears.

"I think you no different, am I wrong? No, you are no different. You come bearing with you a desire-even amidst your terror your little rabbit heart cannot help but admit it- and you came seeking. Hoping to strike a bargain and _Tempt a Devil?_ That's what you thought isn't it?" He ebbed closer, his rasping voice a sinuous whisper in his ears. The darkness beginning to entrap the room once more in cold and hallow with every hiss the demon uttered.

"That you could possibly have something of value to us besides those delicious wriggling souls of yours, that what material possessions you work so tirelessly to salvage could possibly equal the worth of even a fragment of an ethereal essence. Is that what you came for? Or do you wish to plead and beg like those before you instead?"

The room was in darkness now.

"Go on, I insist, persuade me, human. Tempt the demon with pretty words and fleeting treasures"

The only sound Vincent heard was the hushed rasps of the demon from behind him. His heart stopping as he felt the cold breath on the nape of his neck.

"_What could you possibly have to offer me_?"

* * *

**Authors Note: **I can't write as much as I used to, thats for sure. This is an AU. and it's supposed to be SebaCiel but I suck at summaries.

And just cuz I didn't write a disclaimer earlier:** I own jackshit-actually no, not even that.**

And I hope that is enough to satisfy the sharks for now. Speaking of which, If this inspired any thoughts within or criticisms feel free to write it into a review and tell me. I could use some pointers. Did you know Once upon a time is just a mistranslation of in the beginning? Apparently...

well,

I'm out

PEACE~


	2. Chapter 2: The Enticement

The moist, chilling brush of wind, lingering and clinging onto the bare skin of his neck. The chill seeping it's way into his flesh and running down the column of his spine and penetrating the core of his being leaving him sickened, repulsed and absolutely terrified. His body automatically spasming in revulsion as the most pathetic noise escaped his throat in a whine. Hi body recoiling from the touch as he tried to curl into himself, his eyes screwed shut. His hands clasped in fists over his ears as he let out a choked cry.

"What do you want from me!? Please! I have nothing-nothing that's worth your time so please! Please just-just stop! please!" He pleaded, his voice cracking as he shook and whimpered. The demon only watched with intrigue, withdrawing his hand and circling the man, ghosting through the air before settling before him. The man' eyes still shut and his body still trembling with fear. The darkness in the room dissipating as the demon examined the human's twisted features. Waving away the winter's cold from the room and breathing life into glowing embers of the fireplace. He watched the man with apt amusement. The sound of his thrumming heart an absolutely captivating rhythm to the demon's ears.

The demon laughed, the noise like thunder and crashing water upon rocks, causing the frail human body to jump and his already terrified heart to race and hammer in his chest, The hulking figure moved towards him. Long coiling tendrils slowly turning to dark smoke and mist with every ambling lurch he took towards him, the sharp sounds of snapping bones and joints soon piercing the air causing Vincent to flinch with every step the monster took. Vincent didn't dare look as the sickening sounds grew louder, closer. The features of the demons face twisting, and shifting as his massive body began to sizzle, most of his mass evaporating into mist and steam leaving a pale bare figure before the man. A smirk, sitting on the demons face as he hummed a noise of disagreement, the lurching sound of the demons shuffling body now replaced by the soft pats of bare feet on floorboards.

Vincent froze. Dreading what could possibly stood before him now, awaiting any minute for what could possibly be his demise as a very much human voice addressed him. His blood running cold as he still refused to look at the transfigured monster before him.

"What do you humans know of value, of what would be worth _my_ time?" The voice was smooth, like liquid velvet. Deep and warm as it filled like water in Vincent's ears and spilled into the hollow pit of his stomach, making it churn and knot.

Another laugh, this time almost musically unsettling, like an off note to an otherwise beautiful symphony.

"What you deem valuable, your ideals of worth through sentiment. Materialism." He Stopped before the man,

"or of power- of _Leverage" _He spat the word like a poison. his face contorting into a disgusted sneer before wiping it quickly from his features and replacing it with a tight smile. The demon paused, taking a moment to flex and inspect his new form, Claret irises staring out from dark strands trailing in the wake of the now human-esque being. The eyes roaming his bare being, marvelling slightly at the expanse of skin stretched over the network of nerves, veins, bones and muscles. The way each could be seen moving under his newly formed skin, it was almost fascinating certainly. He turned his attention back to the man before him, moving away the dark locks obscuring his vision. A small chuckle bubbling from his throat as he eyed the man, his laugh turning into a noise of feigned sympathy.

"Oh no, Have I scared you? What a terrible host I'm being" He smiled though it remained unseen by his guest. He moved to the mattress, taking a seat as he experimentally stretched his new limbs. Vincent remained unresponsive, still paralysed by fear of the demon's presence even as he felt the weight of the mattress dip. Realizing he wasn't breathing he took a gulp of air, his own bloodshot eyes fixed intently at the space above his feet. Pointedly avoiding letting his eyes land on the demon beside him. The demon noticed this, and watched him intently at the way his wide brown eyes would bulge from their sockets and dart in his direction every few seconds, how his heart still hadn't stopped thrumming like the wings of a hummingbird.

_So frantically pitiful_, the demon thought. He shifted closer, the action only causing the man to stumble backwards, his sweat slicked palms touching the cool of the headboard, panic setting on his features. The demon tried to hush him, his tone sickeningly gentle as he extended a hand towards him. Gently shushing as if coaxing a frightened child. The man flinched away from the hand, growing noticeably more distressed with every inch the demon moved. His voice fighting it's way out his throat in barely a hoarse rasp.

"What do you want from me" Their eyes locked. Curiosity meeting terror. _What do you want? _The words were barely whispered but they were heard, and stuck in the demons ears like the lingering taste of honey on the tongue. _Had this human really just asked him what he wanted? What it was that he desired? _The demon could hardly believe it.

_How clichéd. Were all terrified humans this unoriginal? Incapable of persuasion or wit? _

He would've rolled his eyes had he not been trying to soothe bristled hairs. Instead he tried to offer a gentle smile.

"What I want is irrelevant, I did not collect your petrified body out of want or incessant greed, It's what I _need_ from you is why you sit before me alive and breathing." He watched as a fraction of the terror in the man's eyes subside.

"What you want, however, was clearly enough to compel you this far." His throat moved as he swallowed, but he didn't tremble or flinch when the demon shifted closer, the outstretched arm falling and rejoining the demon's side. He moved slow, as if approaching a flighty animal, with care and watching tentatively his prey's every move.

"What you want I would be more than willing to provide, anything you could possibly want- it would mean nothing more than a mere trifle to me, So tell me, what it is you desire so deeply you would risk your mortal being?"

The human replied, his words no more than a hoarse rush of words yet clear as the shrill peal of hand bells. His wide eyed stare locked onto the demon's with renewed resolve.

"I wish to strike a deal with you." The demon's smile stretched into a grin.

"I gathered that much, yes." A small rumble of laughter emanated from the demon's throat; Vincent remained apprehensive.

"Would you care to elaborate what is it specifically you are after, what you want of me?"

"I want you to produce for me, three things that I ask for." There was silence between them, held in their locked gazes, the demon remaining silent and expectant. Vincent, willing himself to remain calm. The silence and intent stare of the demon forcing him to continue.

"And what would those three things be might I inquire?" The demon leant back, poising himself away from the man, leaning on one of his arms for support, the other hypnotically twirling tendrils of smoke in the air with his fingertips. The barest hint of amusement danced in the demons red irises.

"Does it make a difference to you?" His words were abrupt. The sadistic smile didn't waver.

"I suppose not, just idle curiosity, my apologies. But when a mortal risks something they consider precious it's often for something they consider much more valuable. That or they're ignorant of such dangers. It leaves me wondering, what are their motives?" He pretended to muse, offering the question to the mortal man and earning him an affronted look.

"Why is none of your concern, will you produce for me my three requested items if I agree to your terms?" His words were sharper, laced with irritation he hadn't planned to let slip. But it was dismissed, with a slack wave of his wrist.

"No, you're right. Your reasons are of not my concern." Vincent watched as red irises flickered dangerously with mirth, blood and fire dancing within their depths. The smoke the demon had idly been twisting with his fingers slowly furling towards Vincent, creeping it's way into his lungs and curling around the bare column of his neck. He could hear his pulse in his ear, his mouth growing dry as he tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. But he didn't dare tear his gaze away. Even as the smoke grew thicker into a cloud of fog before his eyes, lightly obscuring his view of the figure before him. He steeled himself, willing his voice to keep steady as he spoke.

"But my soul is, correct?" In the mist he saw him nod. The red eyes glowered, even through the veil of mist, burning like embers piercing and singeing the very fringes of his immortal soul. His heart almost stopping dead in it's tracks.

"It's one possibility, certainly." The cruel smirk of the demon evident in his voice.

He had suspected so, prepared for the possibility and considered losing his immortal soul. He considered it, knowing full well what it would mean risking his right to eternal peace and rest for the sake of this trip. What that would mean for him, to risk his eternity to spend the rest of his mortal years with her. He felt the weight of the reality, it's cold chill twisting into the pit of his stomach and knot itself, it's roots intertwining with the fibres of his soul. Cold, hollowing and penetrating to his very core. The cold stealing the blood and breath from him and leaving his face a contorted mask of unbridled horror. _What am I doing?_Blowing a ringlet of smoke into the air, the growing ring breaking as it hit Vincent in the face, the sickly fog forcing him to wrack his lungs and throat with a cough. Another deep sound rumbled from the demon, clearly relishing in the way the human visibly change in expression and colour. The demonic fog engulfing the room in a dark haze, invading the man's senses and furthering to muddle his thoughts. His hands vehemently waving away the fog in an attempt to alleviate his suffocated state. The demon only watched in amusement, blowing smoke from his nostrils at his own leisure. Another cold reality waking him from his stupor.

"O-one of them?" his fingers digging into the soft of the mattress, voice faltering slightly. It was a sliver of hope in an otherwise despairing situation.

"Your soul, another's soul, Whose does not matter. What I care for, what I'm seeking..." he paused, deliberating his choice of words as he looked briefly around the smoke addled room before casting his gaze once more upon the pale faced man.

"Is a something I have yet to encounter, It would be radiant, pure. Distinguished among all others by a single glance, by its very scent. Something that will humble me and force me to acknowledge my shameful and hollow existence. A soul that could incite murder amongst each other, a soul that I would mourn as well as savour upon consumption. If you can find me that-give me that- I would gift you an eternity more of what you could ever imagine." Vincent felt suffocated, the smoke beginning to trap him in his own mind, dizzying and smothering. Paling, as he felt himself grow weightless with every breath of smoke. The demon, continued. "However I'm in no position to be too... fussy, so a decent soul like yourself should suffice for now." Vincent saw colours.

"Is that it? One soul?" He heaved, his vision a blur of colour as he was forced to inhale the demons breathe. The demon only laughed in response.

"Are you aware how much it costs to ask for the stars? What one needs to summon enough energy for such a feat?! Child, one measly soul wouldn't even begin to match the needed power one would need, no- we were discussing my interest in your quest, and the price of that should you be inclined to acquiesce is 14 souls. Consider it a 'deposit' if you will." His eyes glowered the colour of a forest ablaze with all the intensity and ferocity of such focused and intent on burning a hole into Vincent's soul.

"The cost of my labours is another matter altogether and depends mostly on what you are desiring."

a pause

"Now whether you should accept or decline either way I can guarantee you'll regret it-so the question is-" The haze of demonic fogged had began to dissipate. The glowering eyes fixed upon the man slumped over, faint with darkness hovering in his peripheral. The sound of a deep heavy voice, commanding all fibre of Vincent to stand to attention at his every word, spoke with a finality that left Vincent feeling powerless, pinned down by the weight of his limbs.

"Do you accept?"

Vincent was weak, compliant like rubber and wrung out like a soaked rag. He felt exposed and vulnerable, like prey in the hands of its hunter. He tried to fight it, the growing compliance he felt corrupting him. Seizing his limbs, his willpower and surrendering it all to the demon himself.

"Stop it" he protested weakly, the effects of the intoxicating smoke taking hold of him, drawing out his words with every laboured breath. The demon watched him, stone faced and unamused. He held up one trembling hand, partially as if to pardon himself to allow him a moment to regain his composure, partially as if the simple gesture would keep the demon at bay. The demon repeated himself and in that very moment he realized with every syllable uttered by the demon he could feel the gravity of himself shift. The voice that commanded all fibres of the dreading, cutting all ties with all it's other sensory distractions and focusing everything on the demon before him. The repeated words pinning him with every pronounced syllable. The clarity those words brought him.

"Do you accept?"

The human nodded.

Red orbs and shrouded by darkness never once wavering, as they watched with growing intensity, the human man, delighting in their new found settlement.

* * *

Time passed by indefinitely in the Demon's forest and so In the living house Vincent remained in the demon's company, discussing the terms of their 'contract'. Words, as Vincent discovered were his bond. Enough to bind his soul as property of the demon.

"Time," The demon began in his deep silken tone.

"Is of no concern to me, I have no reason to be full of haste. You, however, have until the end of your lifespan to provide me with 14 souls as payment whether it be your own or otherwise." The demon-man was clad in a suit of dark feathers and pelts and hides, more akin to his shambling horror of a form than anything humans would wear. He sat, poised languidly and leisurely in a the bough of a tree, its shape manipulated and bent to suit himself. He sat upon poised like a king upon a throne. Vincent himself sat across from him, steeling himself to remain unperturbed throughout the whole ordeal.

"And if I were unable to fulfil this term in my lifetime- for example If I were to die unexpectedly before I was able to deliver, what would happen then?"

He eyed him with indignation, brown eyes challenging red. The demon unaffected by the intensity of the young man's glare or if he did it bothered him none in the slightest, instead he gestured with his hand mindlessly as he spoke. The movement, as Vincent realized was an arcane gesture procuring a silver gilded rose.

"No trouble at all, should you fail to meet your end of the deal before your soul, This-" He presented the dazzling flower to Vincent, brown eye's briefly widening with amazement for a fraction of a second before recomposing themselves into their will-full glare. The way the light shimmering and dancing amongst the petals with it's every move, Vincent had t tear his gaze away and force it once more to meet the obdurate eyes of the demon.

"Shall allow us to..._keep in contact_ with each other, well-for myself more so than you. Moreover this little trinket is proof of the pact you and I will make. This pact, should you break, will result in my eternal possession of your immortal soul. Naturally this will come after your timely demise and not a minute earlier so do not fret, I promise that I will not lend a hand or play any part in lessening your lifespan. Let that not be a concern." He offered the silver rose to the man who eyed it skeptically, withholding his tongue as he reluctantly accepted the flower to discover that upon touching it resulted in the rose's shimmering surface to melt and dissolve away. The hue melting from it's petals and thorns and beading like quicksilver dew, revealing a much more organic flower with lilac coloured petals. He almost dropped it in surprise, marvelling at the way the droplets of silver rolled off each petals. Turning it in his hands before letting out a sharp gasp and letting it fall to the floor. The demon watched with amusement; a stream of red far more than expected began to flow from the join of his thumb. The demon nodded to the fallen rose.

"Keep it, I will know if you discard it." The look he received from the young man causing an impishly innocent smile to grace the demon's face. Vincent bent down to pick it up, being mindful to watch the thorns of it's stem as he looked it over once more before turning hi attention once again to the imposing figure before him. The demon gesturing for Vincent to be seated before he continue speaking.

"_Now" _he enunciated, commanding Vincent's attention despite already owning it.

"We can discuss your requests."

* * *

Vincent hung like a shadow, waiting with dread atop his horse with a rustling sack in his waiting hands, his breast pocket adorned with a single white snowdrop. The small blossom still turgid as if only freshly picked mere moments ago, the petals and leaves still crisp white and green with life.

_'These buds,' The demon had drawled, "Are filled with a life unlike those in your human realm, they do not die in this winter and they possess certain...properties." To demonstrate his point the demon led Vincent to the room below descending down a tower of spiralling stairs and entering one of the many woven wine archways into what could generously be called a lounging room despite the fact it was almost completely bare of furniture. The demon waved Vincent over to his near the amber glass windows where the frost gilded blossoms clung to the walls and glass. Vincent watched as the demon reached through the window, his hands seeming to penetrate the barrier like a hand would against water, almost submerging as the window conformed around his arm and plucked gingerly one of the snowdrops, it's frozen dew seeming to melt under his touch. He then brought the flower to Vincent for his inspection, urging him to take it. Vincent did so but with a questioning look, the demon responding by taking the delicate bud from him and gently tucking it into the slip of his breast pocket. Vincent pulling away from the demon's approach; he met red orbs with an accusatory stare only to recompose himself when he realized his overreaction. The demon paid no mind. _

_"They are resistant to the cold of the forest, they do not freeze and they protect their wearers from magic, they also do not wither like the flowers in your world." The demon made a show of setting his hand a light with azure and white flames, Vincent finding his back against a wall as he fervently tried to avoid the demon's flame doused arm. A yelp slipping involuntarily from his throat as the demon calmly laid his hand upon Vincent's shoulder. He winced, only to find that he felt no heat, of the blame flames. Watching in bewilderment as the flames didn't spread or scorch him but instead danced before his eyes in hypnotic vivid colours. An uncertain smile claiming his features till it practically wore his face as he laid his palm onto the flames only to feel neither the singing pain or any heat at all. Then the flames were extinguished. He looked to the demon in surprise. _

_"Their sprouting also forecasts the ending of winter, You should be so lucky in your lifetime, to see the forest in Spring" _

Yet as Vincent waited, He looked through the eye of the wall as if it were a looking glass foreshadowing his future. The white beginning to hurt his eyes. His heart jump starting as he saw an inch height figure slowly ambling towards the wall at a leisurely pace. His heart beginning to pound in his ears as he awaited his arrival. He felt like boat sails, soaked by the sea, burdened and heavied by the very medium it strives to propel through. If his soul could tremble it would be seismic. He dropped from his horse; the solid ground beneath his feet feeling alien as he walked towards the eye. The contents of his sack struggling to escape and fighting with every breath they had, much like his heart in his chest, Vincent thought. Before he knew it, the feather clad man having closed some of the distance, his features visible from where Vincent stood. He swallowed thickly. Forcing his own legs to walk towards him, the demon now only mere meters from where Vincent stood. He forced himself to cover the last few steps, expecting the demon to halt once he reached the wall.

Expecting the demon to be halted by the enchantment that was supposed to keep the human's safe from demonic harm only to have his face turned into a portrait of pure abstract horror as he watched the demon walk unharmed and unaffected through the wall. Choking on his own breath as he was stood once more face to face with the man-guised demon. Red eyes at level with his own, yet as they bore into him he felt as if he were only two feet. Words failing him. Demon wore a smile.

"It must be devastating to experience a shattering illusion." He closed the distance, Vincent involuntarily taking a step back, his mind still reeling from the shock of the Demon's reveal. How much more of it all was just an illusion? What wasted effort and futile measure did human's take in attempt to stand a chance against the beasts only for it all to be in vain? He felt himself go cold and numb with shock, his head becoming light as if he were floating only to be brought back down by the sound of the demon's voice commanding his attention.

"Do you have what I need?" Vincent realized he was still clutching to the sack, the tired beasts inside having ceased their struggles, most likely having tired themselves out. He nodded, thrusting the offering into the demon's waiting hands. The demon untying the rope and peering curiously into the bag. His eyes widening in surprise. Vincent waited in silence for the demon's approval, his apprehension growing with every silent moment that passed. The demon still frozen with surprise at the small mewling creatures that tried to clamber out of the bag towards him. The man eyed him nervously as the demon reached one black clawed hand into the sack and slowly pull out the Queen cat, the silken black feline meowing in protest. Red eyes lit ablaze and fixated with awe upon the creature, bringing it close to his eyes and examining it with apt fascination; the demon was completely entranced. Vincent could only watch incredulously as a look of unbridled adoration settled upon the demon's features. Vincent had never felt more confused and uncomfortable. _Was the demon... Cooing?! _

He cleared his throat.

"Demon?" Honestly he didn't want to interrupt the moment but it was his time that was ticking by. The demon tore his eyes away from his new object of affection to fix them onto Vincent. He placed the cat back into the sack with the rest of them.

"Yes, yes- forgive me- I will attend to the task right away." He smirked, eyes simmering with raw and chaotic intention.

* * *

Rachel waited by her window, the midday light streaming from through the glass and spilling onto the old hard cover book in her hands. Trying to immerse herself in a world of crystal glass hills and dragon guarded treasures. She had been waiting. Waiting and searching by moonlight for her Vincent who vanished without a trace under night's cover. It had been almost a month, and she grew more anxious by the day.

Her eyes raced across the page but the words didn't sink in, her mind preoccupied with her disappeared love as she thumbed through the book. It was useless. She closed the book, heaving as much of a sigh as she could within the confines of her corset and replaced it on the shelf where it belonged. She needed to clear her mind; She needed some air.

She traipsed through the efflorescent maze of her garden, wishing to admire the vibrant and pastel roses for the flowers to barely break occupy the even the shallowest depths of her mind. It had been almost a month since she asked Vincent about the nature of his intentions and their relationship, and now it was almost a month since she'd last seen him. She walked towards the gazebo in their garden, where wisteria and honey suckle climbed the legs of the gazebo and hung from the top of the trellis roof of the gazebo, filtering sunlight so only droplets were able to stream through. She hid there from the sun, casting her eyes over the dark pond of their garden, the reflected sun almost blinding her. She let out another laboured sigh.

"Rachel!" she turned around to face the harried voice, being greeted by the sight of her her younger sister. Laughing lightly at her haggard appearance. Her tired mood vanishing ever so slightly.

"Hello, my sister, my sweet!" she smiled brightly as her sister approached, dress bunched in her hands and hair sticking to her face from the heat.

"Don't call me pet names you!- I've been looking for you and this is where you've been hiding?!" she scolded, her sister's giggles only furthering her annoyance.

"My preciou-"

"No!"

"My little duc-"

"Rachel!" she reprimanded but it was obvious she was struggling to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching. But she managed somehow, soothing her dishevelled appearance as she did so, making a noise in the back of her throat.

"I'm was looking for you _because,_" she emphasized, letting her sister snake her arm around hers and drag her towards the pond.

"Because you've decided to run away to the Arctic and live with the penguins!" she chimed in enthusiastically.

"No, Rache-"

"Father has been replaced by an imposter and it's up to us to find the real one! No- wait, there's a-"

"There's someone here for you!" they shared a look that conveyed more than words.

"Is it...?" needing not to finish her question. Anne was aware of how Rachel felt, what she went through during the past month, mostly because she was experiencing it herself. No one but her knew this of course.

"I-I don't know, I was just told that someone was here for you and that I find you." She didn't need to finish her sentence, Rachel had already bunched up her dress in her hands and ran towards home, stumbling and cursing the bruden that was her dress as she made her way desperately, her sister running to try and keep with her.

"Rachel! Wait- Rachel!" she could hear behind her, but she couldn't bring herself to stop or slow. Fighting the growing pain in her lungs as she ran, her feet ceaselessly striving to bring her closer and closer to the one she missed. Her heart, a rioter against her ribcage.

* * *

_Vincent stood, he didn't want to sit, sitting only worsened his restlessness. It had been too long since he had last been here, and especially after their last conversation, what she must've thought- would she refuse to see him!? He felt his breathe grow shallow and his stomach eat itself in anticipation. He was nervous to say the least. Nervous because a month was too long and they both knew it. He reached into his pocket, his finger brushing the box as he dug for his pocket watch. It had been 17 minutes now. Waiting didn't help to soothe his nerves, to quell his worries. He started to pace, his feet wanting to rid some of the tension and energy. What was happening? What am I doing? She's furious at me, isn't she? Thoughts racing as his feet paced, his heart only racing against his thoughts and winning with every shallow breath._

_He wasn't prepared for her. Not when he first laid eyes on her some years ago when they were both doe eyed youths, nor now when she burst through the doors into the visitors lounge where he paced in confusion. _

_Their reunion was a tearful one, the both of them experiencing the sincerest kiss yet, their arms curling around each other tighter than any bark on any tree. They both stayed that way, two embodiments of relief, love and joy joined and embracing, for what felt like a small eternity. _

_When they broke apart, Vincent fell onto his knee, both of their eyes still misting and shrouded by unshed tears. His voice quivering as he took her hand asked her to be his and for himself to be hers only. Divines know it would've taken a miracle for her to say no, a miracle even they would be powerless to create. _

When Vincent disappeared, the Lord Durless believed that he had won, that he had bested Vincent and called his bluff- like the many others who simply gave up or failed in their quest. How wrong he had been. In the dead of night, the lord Durless would sit in his study, sipping at a glass of wine and writing whatever he pleased accompanied by nothing more than the moon's radiance and the solemn night breezes that danced and died at his open window. It was only two nights ago did he almost die of fright when a shadow of the man, as pale as death and as hollow as an echo, stood before him like a reaper collecting his due. He almost called out and cried for help but he didn't. Even when the man began to close the distance between them. He almost didn't recognize him, whatever youth the man possessed was lost in whatever oblivion he had ventured. Whatever spirit or liveliness, it was sucked out by the vacuum of lifelessness that consumed whatever haunted wasteland he had crawled out of. This was not the young man he knew who asked for his daughter's hand.

He flinched when Vincent neared him, but was too engrossed to cry out or speak, as he saw him procure from a satchel the very items he had risked his life to find- To create. The baron only watched in amazement as in Vincent's pulled out, with his fist clenched tightly around it- small glass marble of pure sunlight, blinding even as the first rays of light slipped through his fingers as he offered it to Vincent, the Baron able to feel the heat of the marble rolling off in waves. He shielded his eyes, marvelling how Vincent could hold such an immense yet tiny object in his palm without being burnt, yet he found out for himself as Vincent threw it to his feet and he picked it up, only to find the glass cool to the touch yet still able to radiate the powers of the sun.

_ Magic_, he disbelieved. Then another trinket, a small metal cage that could be held in one's palm. The Baron knew that like the glass droplet of sun, there was more to this than met the eye. He threw the marble into his drawer, his blackened vision slowly returning before taking the object that Vincent had offered to him and examining with suspended awe. Fiddling with the hinges of the tiny cage and opening it, allowing melodious notes to sing through the air and fill the room, music was playing from the empty cage and The Baron only found himself speechless and astounded by this work of magic.

Then came the last item. Vincent procured with finality a glass bottle, green and seemingly empty and corked air tight. The Baron simply looked at it. His expression switching from one of befuddlement to one of heightened dread, remembering what it was he had tasked the man with. He looked to him, asking silently whether or not he should open the bottle, but met with no reply, only the darkened figure only staring intently with no change in resolve or expression. The Baron swallowed, setting the bottle on his desk as he fumbled around for a cork screw or something he could use to pull the cork out.

Unaware that the man was no longer standing behind him. Like the wind he had vanished without any evidence that he had ever stood there save for the trinkets and the haggard old man who was clumsily shifting through his drawers. When the Baron finally turned around, he fell back into his desk, the glass bottle falling onto it's side and rolling over the edge and shattering onto the floor. The fragile confines releasing what the Baron could only describe as the invasion of hell on earth. The sound of glass shattering lost to the sound of torturous and agonized screams of a human man, piercing the airs and ears of the Baron like strikes of lightning and being gutted from the inside. It's all consuming sound and nature causing the baron to fall over in terror and fright as the screams only grew louder and immense in his ears, trembling as if the demons that plagued his mind were in the very room he occupied. Unaware that the twisted screaming could only be heard by his ears and no other.

He didn't move from under the desk for the entire night, even when they had finally ceased minutes after shattering the bottle. His screams however, did not go unnoticed by his family or the servants of the household. When they found him, he was a blabbering mess of tears and nonsensical rambles about dark figures and bloody torture with green bottle shards at his feet. His Daughters blamed it on nightmares or possibly some drunken hallucination, the servants thinking he was simply going mad.

The only other soul aware of the true events of the night was already long gone into the night, running with abandon into the darkness and needing not a single ray of light to guide him home.

* * *

**EN: I feel like I change halfway through writing this. It was hard. **

**Is it bad to say that I'm losing the will to live? **

**probably. **

**Anyhoo, Criticisms in the form of reviews would be immensely appreciated. **

**Till next time.**


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